Conclusion

This Situation Update shows that the reported global authorized trade in small arms has increased markedly since 2019, as the reported value of exports reached USD 9.2 billion in 2024. In the context of the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, a significant increase in European, and in particular Eastern European, imports during this period seems to have fuelled this growing trade. Importantly, this surge is not limited to imports by Ukraine itself, but also concerns several Eastern European countries—reflecting a broader subregional pattern of arms supplies and rearmament triggered by the 2022 Russian invasion.

While Latin America as a whole represents a small proportion of the global trade (6.3% of the world’s exports and 2.8% of imports), at the country level, Brazil stands out as a major player. Brazilian small arms exports are ranked fifth globally, and the country is both Latin America’s largest importer and exporter of small arms—based on the data reported by Latin American countries. Data reported by exporters around the world suggests a slightly different picture, with Mexico standing out as the region’s largest importer of small arms ahead of Brazil.

Data discrepancies raise questions about the comprehensiveness of reporting on small arms transfers by countries in the region, and suggest the real value of the small arms trade in Latin America is probably more significant. Moreover, UN Comtrade data lacks the coverage and granularity needed for a comprehensive assessment of transfers of militarystyle small arms in Latin America. Data regarding the specific categories of firearms concerned and countries’ main trading partners, as well as for certain years, is often incomplete.

The available data, nevertheless, points to certain patterns. Weapons categorized as military firearms represented 10% of Latin America’s total imports of small arms between 2019 and 2024—which is higher than the global proportion of 5.6%. The region’s imports of these weapons does therefore represent a significant percentage of its trade in small arms, even if figures can vary greatly from year to year and between countries. Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia—also the region’s three most populated countries—stand out as the region’s largest importers of military firearms in recent years.

In light of the impact that the diversion and misuse of military-style small arms can have on regional crime and violence, more consistent and detailed reporting is crucial to improve the regional intelligence picture. Case study analysis on the presence of these weapons in seizure data—including information on the makes and models of seized firearms, as is being undertaken as part of the SNIS-funded project in Brazil, for instance^[1]—will be particularly crucial for shedding further light on the typology of illicit weapons misused in the region, which may in turn underscore possible patterns of diversion and trafficking of military-style firearms.

^[1] See Langeani and Pollachi (2025).